Since the start of The Bias List in January 2016, I’ve always looked back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists each month. Now, it’s time to look even further into the past, one month at a time. And, yes, the top three rankings count toward The Bias List’s personal artist scorecard! September … Continue reading
There are few things I enjoy more than a great summertime song. They’re bright, they’re exciting, and they remind me of my favorite time of the year. There’s no telling what this summer in K-pop will bring, but over the next few weeks I’ll be flashing back each day, showcasing a highlight from past summers. … Continue reading
I’m back for more I-LAND, a couple days earlier than expected! This week was more focused on preparation than performance, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t have plenty of observations. Episode One Recap Part One: Exposition, and a Tour of Paradise At the beginning of this episode, I felt like we finally got some clarity … Continue reading
Most of the time, a k-pop group’s title track is the best song on their album. But, sometimes b-sides deserve recognition too. In the singles-oriented world of K-pop, I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. I had a heck of a time deciding which track on … Continue reading
Most of the time, a k-pop group’s title track is the best song on their album. But, sometimes b-sides deserve recognition too. In the singles-oriented world of K-pop, I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. VERIVERY’s new mini album is an interesting study in contrast. You … Continue reading
There are few things I enjoy more than a great summertime song. They’re bright, they’re exciting, and they remind me of my favorite time of the year. There’s no telling what this summer in K-pop will bring, but over the next few weeks I’ll be flashing back each day, showcasing a highlight from past summers. … Continue reading
Looking back at this feature from 2019, it seems like I identified quite a few risers and few fallers last year. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for 2020. Most title tracks — even the ones I loved — just haven’t enjoyed the same staying power. I’m not quite sure why this is. Maybe it … Continue reading
There are few things I enjoy more than a great summertime song. They’re bright, they’re exciting, and they remind me of my favorite time of the year. There’s no telling what this summer in K-pop will bring, but over the next few weeks I’ll be flashing back each day, showcasing a highlight from past summers. … Continue reading
After looking at the year’s best singles (so far), it’s time to turn attention to 2020’s albums. I’ll reiterate what I said yesterday: relative to previous years, it’s been slim pickings. Consistently good mini albums have been particularly hard to find this year, at least in my opinion. But even though the overall picture may … Continue reading
There are few things I enjoy more than a great summertime song. They’re bright, they’re exciting, and they remind me of my favorite time of the year. There’s no telling what this summer in K-pop will bring, but over the next few weeks I’ll be flashing back each day, showcasing a highlight from past summers. … Continue reading
Just the other day, I was going through my old B1A4 albums and realizing just how much I miss their presence in K-pop. Nobody has taken up their bright, quirky mantle. To be fair, they’re difficult to replicate since so much of their material was self-produced, but when Jinyoung comes back from the military I … Continue reading
There are few things I enjoy more than a great summertime song. They’re bright, they’re exciting, and they remind me of my favorite time of the year. There’s no telling what this summer in K-pop will bring, but over the next few weeks I’ll be flashing back each day, showcasing a highlight from past summers. … Continue reading
Though he was already popular, Zico has enjoyed even greater success this year thanks to his viral Any Song. Personally, I find the “TikTok challenge” nature of that track emblematic of everything wrong with pop music at the moment, but I’ll admit that it’s catchy (if annoying). In a somewhat similar situation, K-pop legend Rain … Continue reading
So… we all agree that VERIVERY should have just released Beautiful-x and called it a day, right? That song harnessed their signature funk appeal without feeling like a step back into more juvenile material. It stood out among all of the darker, more aggressive styles on Road to Kingdom, and felt perfectly suited to the … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I look back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists. I take my own ratings into account, but there’s a bit of wiggle room as certain songs tend to grow or fade. June 2020 Overall Thoughts This may not seem like much within the context of 2020’s continual … Continue reading
There are few things I enjoy more than a great summertime song. They’re bright, they’re exciting, and they remind me of my favorite time of the year. There’s no telling what this summer in K-pop will bring, but over the next few weeks I’ll be flashing back each day, showcasing a highlight from past summers. … Continue reading
Is it wrong to want an UP10TION comeback? I understand that Jinhyuk and Wooseok gained popularity through Produce X 101, but I don’t buy either of them as a solo star. Plus, I feel bad for the rest of the group, having to watch as two members suddenly get more promotion than UP10TION has had … Continue reading
Well, here I am again… a glutton for MNET’s punishment. After recapping Road to Kingdom, I decided to give I-LAND a try. Most weeks, these recaps will come out Monday or Tuesday after the episode has aired, because that’s when I have the time to finally watch it. OVERALL THOUGHTS ON EPISODE ONE Right from … Continue reading
Pentagon have been teasing the music video release of their Road to Kingdom track Basquiat (바스키아) for a week now, and all the while I kept thinking ‘these visuals must be stunning because the song itself is kind of a non-starter.’ And yes, the performance video is suitably cinematic, adding image to angst in a … Continue reading
2020 has been flush with girl group debuts. The problem is, most of them have emerged from smaller companies and fallen under the radar. Weeekly’s debut has been anticipated for some time thanks to various members’ participation in 2018’s MIXNINE. Their song Tag Me (@Me) borrows from the impossibly peppy, upbeat girl group trends of … Continue reading
